# Poor service with Daniel Marshal



## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

I have, for over ten years, been an owner of a Daniel Marshal humidor. It was my first humidor purchase, and one that I have proudly placed my most valued smokes. In short, it has served as a focal point of much pleasure.

Recently, however, a discoloration has appeared upon its surface. It is clearly linked to the humidification element - two circles working their way through the burl veneer - despite my disciplined practice of activating the element with a modest application of a 50/50 mixture of Propylene Glycol & distilled water. Clearly, there is something amiss in the construction of this unit, which led me to reach out to the company to seek remedy.

Unfortunately, the response I received was:

_"This mark most likely was caused by the plastic water humidity unit not being maintained with the DM Special Care solution. What we could do is offer you a special price on a new humidor if your interested."_

There are two points of offense here. The first is assigning fault due to the fact I refused to submit to their razor/razor blade pricing of a "special care solution;" there is nothing special in their mixture, save, their desire to tap into my wallet over the lifetime of a humidor. Second, that they would be so unconcerned about a potential systemic flaw in their product; it appears that such planned obsolescence is a way to entice additional sales of an expensive item that, when purchased, was intended to be an heirloom.

It appears I am left with the decision to never do business with this company again, and in the process, share an experience which may impact other BOTL decisions to purchase their product. So, if an heirloom quality humidor is what you seek, one would be well served to avoid Daniel Marshal's flawed product.

Best,

Lee


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## MarkinCA (Jun 13, 2007)

Can you show us a good photo or two of the discoloration?


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

MarkinCA said:


> Can you show us a good photo or two of the discoloration?


I think I've attached the photo - little challenged with the size restrictions.


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## shilala (Feb 1, 2008)

Did you try to rub it out?
I bet Old English would take care of it.


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## SR Mike (Feb 4, 2008)

That is a bummer. Is there a warranty, if so I would put it to use with them? Also, can that be refinished?


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## ChasDen (Dec 12, 2007)

leebert said:


> I think I've attached the photo - little challenged with the size restrictions.


Can you post a pick of under the lid with the hum device removed?

Just curious if the wood is discolored inside.

Chas

PS did you send them pics?


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

shilala said:


> Did you try to rub it out?
> I bet Old English would take care of it.


I am afraid it is in the veneer itself, below the finish. It cannot be rubbed out.

Lee


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

SR Mike said:


> That is a bummer. Is there a warranty, if so I would put it to use with them? Also, can that be refinished?


According to their representative, no. Apparently, without examining the unit, he already knows it cannot be refinished. This would suggest previous knowledge of the problem.

Lee


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

ChasDen said:


> Can you post a pick of under the lid with the hum device removed?
> 
> Just curious if the wood is discolored inside.
> 
> ...


Chas,

The wood is not discolored on the inside. Yes, I did send them the photograph.

Best,

Lee


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## gamayrouge (Dec 21, 2007)

It looks like a face. ooOoOoOooo.... humi ghost.


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## xxwaldoxx (Apr 2, 2006)

leebert said:


> I think I've attached the photo - little challenged with the size restrictions.


It appears to be blushing in the finish. It happens when moisture builds up under the surface and causes a hazy effect (as shown in your pictures.) However, this is kind of hard to see happening because gravity would prevent pooling on the inside top of your humidor.

Have you ever placed a drinking glass or beverage can on the lid of your humidor without a coaster? I only ask because there appear to be some surface scratches on the finish.


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

xxwaldoxx said:


> Have you ever placed a drinking glass or beverage can on the lid of your humidor without a coaster? I only ask because there appear to be some surface scratches on the finish.


Fair question.

No.

Lee


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## xxwaldoxx (Apr 2, 2006)

If it is blushing, and I'm almost certain it is, it is pretty amazing how it happened. I would have never expected to see a concentrated patch of moisture rise through the lining, then through the ply's (and the layers of glue), then finally come through the surface veneer to cause a problem with the finish.

All that and it is a ring with a hollow center, not just a round patch.

If you have a cabinetmaker in the area that deals with alot of hardwood furniture I would suggest taking it to them to have a look. It would probably be cheaper to buy a new one than have it fixed but they may be able to give you a more definitive answer of what happened and how to avoid it in the future.


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## tfar (Dec 27, 2007)

Lee,

I agree with you totally that this is very annoying from such a high-end mfr as Marshal. It should not happen in the first place (even after ten years) and if it did happen, they should find a better solution for you. Now, he did offer a special price. If you can get a brand new Marshal just like yours for $50-100 I would take them up on it. Did he say what the special price would be?

They could also just make you a new lid that is screwed on. The sides might not match perfectly but it would be better than the current state.

I am not sure on this but I believe these humis do have a lacquer finish (polyurethane perhaps). It looks as if moisture got trapped under the lacquer. It might be possible that if they sand off the finish and sand down the veneer, the stain will be removed if it hasn't gone too deep yet. How long did this take to develop?

I also agree that if they say it cannot be removed, they have had a similar problem before. I have two humis. A cheap but well-made Chinese one from Thompson that seals really well and an expensive and well-made one from Western Humidor (before they went Chinese) that seals not so well. I have had both for more than five years and have not had this problem.

Did anyone else ever see this kind of condensation ring on a humi lid? It seems that a layer of Tyvek between the outer and inner wood layers would take care of this well.

Till


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## hk3 (Jan 29, 2008)

I have never seen this before. It's a real bummer that a "good" company like Daniel Marshall would not take better care of their customers. 
That should definately tell you something there. 
I would imagine this has happened to a numerous amount of people and the company cant, or does not want to take the loss in replacing or fixing the large number of humidors they have already sold.


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## IceChant (Dec 7, 2007)

You made me worry, I bought humidor from DM 4 months ago and it wasn't cheap but I decided to go for it as I thought it would be worth it's price as investment for years to come and the life warranty but now I see they might not respect that in future.


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## leebert (Jan 20, 2008)

IceChant said:


> You made me worry, I bought humidor from DM 4 months ago and it wasn't cheap but I decided to go for it as I thought it would be worth it's price as investment for years to come and the life warranty but now I see they might not respect that in future.


It is clear their "life" warranty is only conditional upon you purchasing their "Special Solution." However, it is unclear how one proves proper application of their special solution, or if they would honor their warranty in the absence of such proof.

The larger issue is this: based upon their response, they know the problem exists. Instead of a recall, or honoring their warranty, they are pushing the cost back upon the consumer.

Lee


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